[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx This amp really takes a long time to burn. The sound now has a smooth, silky characteristic like the 637. NICE. It's probably hitting 100 hrs now, while my sr71 isn't making any noticeable difference after 30+ hrs or so of burn-in. What are you guys burning the amp with? I'm using stereophile's burn-in noise (their 3rd cd).

Both at home and at work... big iTunes library of Apple Lossless and AAC320 tunes ... about "8.7 days" worth... > into my ears much of the day ... and into cheap cans at night.
Transports: Vinnie-mod DV563a (hybrid/SACDs & RedbookCDs), Tibook G4 1.25GHz/Superdrive > SonicaUSB-LanBGmod > ZuPivotCables > K501s or elcheapo disintegrating Sony CD6-or-V600s (overniters). Wildly eclectic range of music from AC/DC - JonZorn > Vengerov violin > Zouk > big orchestral works > Diana Krall, AlisonKrauss+UnSta > SteelyDan, NoDoubt, JeffBeck, RyCooder > RavelPiano, LisztPiano, BachViolinPts&Stas > BachFrenchSuitesOnClavichord > dozen of bass tests and sweep tones > RickySkaggs, VinceGill, DelbertMcClinton, LittleVillage, PinkFloyd > BillEvans,TootsThielemans > yadayadayada...

atx: what components/configs/music do you use (besides burn-in CD)? From you notes, it seems you've been listening to music

 

[atx]

Quote:

atx: what components/configs/music do you use (besides burn-in CD)? From you notes, it seems you've been listening to music

I use an emu 0404/m-audio revo 7.1 with canare starquad interconnect to an hd580.

my music ranges from the western side such as pink martini, shania twain, alicia keys, stacie orricco, diana krall, enrique/julio iglesias, gwen stefani, eric clapton, aerosmith, patricia kaas, keb mo, j lopez, michael learns to rock, etc... to the eastern side (mostly korean/japanese) such as rumania montevideo, yumi shizukusa, boa, u-ka saegusa in db, garnet crow, mai kuraki, shibata jun, the brilliant green, fin.k.l, jewelry, sugar, halcali, tata young, corrinne may, etc.

most are 320kbps mp3s/aac, some are lossless (flac/ape).

 

[Romanee]

After about a week's hiatus (real-life interruptions) I resumed P-V2 burn in late last Thursday. This morning it passed (roughly) the 120-hour burn in mark, and the bottom end finally got bigger and deeper! The overall sound is warmer (less "etched"?). Big orchestral works now have the weight, volume and impact I was waiting (and hoping) for. High, loud, fast violin passages are smooth and screechless.

I have to be patient for the next burn-in phase and listen to how the rest of the spectrum adjusts ... it sounds like it's still shifting.

 

[maxxfell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee After about a week's hiatus (real-life interruptions) I resumed P-V2 burn in late last Thursday. This morning it passed (roughly) the 120-hour burn in mark, and the bottom end finally got bigger and deeper! The overall sound is warmer (less "etched"?). Big orchestral works now have the weight, volume and impact I was waiting (and hoping) for. High, loud, fast violin passages are smooth and screechless. I have to be patient for the next burn-in phase and listen to how the rest of the spectrum adjusts ... it sounds like it's still shifting.

Interesting. I'm not sure how many hours are on mine, partly because I'm still using the batteries and they give out while I'm not looking. I have noticed significant differences (particularly in the bottom end) depending on the voltage the battery is supplying. 18v (2x9v in series) is good, 9v is almost as good, but a somewhat worn battery yielding 7+v is just not up to the task.

I'm going to have to get back to some rigorous burn-in action, since I'd certainly like the bottom end to fill out some more--particularly when using a single 9v battery.

 

[TooNice]

Portaphile uses 2x 9V batteries? Or is it some different battery I am not aware of?

 

[maxxfell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TooNice Portaphile uses 2x 9V batteries? Or is it some different battery I am not aware of?

Well it can use 2x9v, but not inside its case! With the battery contact dangling outside the case, I attached the contact to 1 battery's + and another battery's -, then ran a wire between the other two contacts. Definitely not an arrangement adapted to portable use.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxxfell Well it can use 2x9v, but not inside its case! With the battery contact dangling outside the case, I attached the contact to 1 battery's + and another battery's -, then ran a wire between the other two contacts. Definitely not an arrangement adapted to portable use.

I haven't had any time to think about it, but it shouldn't be too hard to find (buy) or build a nice 2x9v portable pack for the Portaphile V2. Radio Shack has its adapta-plug system, and the green one fits the Portaphile DC back (same size as ELPAC 24VDC WM080-1950-760 PS plug ... I butchered my ELPAC 24VDC to use the RS modular plugs for different amps ... used the RS y-adapter to keep plugs on for Portaphile V2 and PortaCorda MkII [pink plug]).

I'm sure headfi DIY-ers must have done some nice versions of a 2x9V pack. I guess it's time to find out what's available.

 

[maxxfell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee I haven't had any time to think about it, but it shouldn't be too hard to find (buy) or build a nice 2x9v portable pack for the Portaphile V2...

I didn't want to give the impression that Portaphile V2 needs 2x9v to perform well. In fact, with burn in, I've found that the difference between running with 2 fresh batteries and using 1 fresh battery is, to me, either very nearly undetectable or actually undetectable. But it does seem to be true that an aging alkaline doesn't do the Portaphile justice. For that reason, I suspect that high quality NiMH batteries, like the Maha, might be a better choice, given the way that NiMH batteries tend to behave, maintaining a fairly constant voltage before giving out quite suddenly. However, I don't have any Maha's myself, so haven't been able to test this.

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee I'm sure headfi DIY-ers must have done some nice versions of a 2x9V pack. I guess it's time to find out what's available.

If you're doing a battery pack what would be the reason for limiting yourself to 9v? What about a big AA pack for long runtime?

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobeau If you're doing a battery pack what would be the reason for limiting yourself to 9v? What about a big AA pack for long runtime?

No particular reason. I just saw maxfell's comment on 2 9Vs and realized I hadn't given battery packs any thought for portage.

Sure, AAs have more runtime. I wouldn't want to carry around a 2 pound brick or AAs, but some extra runtime would be good. I've got a few Ansmann and Plainview 9.6V NiMH, and some Powerex AA and AAA NiMH w/ chargers, so I just need a pretty pack+plug. Of the 9Vs, even the Ansmann 250mAH doesn't seem to last more than 7.5 hours or so of continual play. For a typical work day 1 extra 9V is fine, but for travel it means carrying the charger, etc. Come to think of it, for most of the year I don't need a battery pack ... except for long trips away from AC current (rare).

 

[atx]

Quote:

After about a week's hiatus (real-life interruptions) I resumed P-V2 burn in late last Thursday. This morning it passed (roughly) the 120-hour burn in mark, and the bottom end finally got bigger and deeper

I'm also approaching the same burn in period and noticing the same thing!! The bottom end is now really close to the sr71-- I'm feeling that punch in my eardrums. Sooo close. Even the high end now seems to have opened up and not as "veiled" compared to the sr71 in the beginning. What an amp!!

 

[eeerie1]

Has anyone tried this amp with Senn HD25-1's? These headphones apparently don't respond much to amps, from what I've read (no personal experience).

 

[maxxfell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee Of the 9Vs, even the Ansmann 250mAH doesn't seem to last more than 7.5 hours or so of continual play. For a typical work day 1 extra 9V is fine, but for travel it means carrying the charger, etc. Come to think of it, for most of the year I don't need a battery pack ... except for long trips away from AC current (rare).

The battery I'm currently listening to, a Rayovac alkaline, has more than 12 hours on it and is still going strong. I'm going to time this one to exhaustion to see how long it goes, but I'm sure that when I initially had the amp batteries were not lasting this long. Does it make sense that battery life would improve with burn in?

Also, in a bit I'm going to compare this battery to a fresh one. My impression is that the amp has become less sensitive to its battery supply.

 

[maxxfell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx I'm also approaching the same burn in period and noticing the same thing!! The bottom end is now really close to the sr71-- I'm feeling that punch in my eardrums. Sooo close. Even the high end now seems to have opened up and not as "veiled" compared to the sr71 in the beginning. What an amp!!

I have to join in the chorus. A couple of days ago the amp was representing the bass reasonably well, but wasn't laying a firm foundation there for music that really demand it. Now it's solid.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxxfell I have to join in the chorus. A couple of days ago the amp was representing the bass reasonably well, but wasn't laying a firm foundation there for music that really demand it. Now it's solid.

Behold the Two-Edged Sword of Burn In! The Pain and anxiety of nauseating sonic shifts, wondering if you made the right choice -- and the ecstasy of revelation, like a great red wine after a breath of air, when the sound arrives!!!